Monday saw continued greatness from future first ballot hall of famers Chris Cook and Chris DeGeare, and the exact opposite from the quarterback play. All of them. Except the starter, who's in Mississippi. Your Monday Wrap up/Tuesday Morning info after the jump.
First off, apologies for not posting anything sooner. I am in the process of moving the #1 Vikings fan in the world, my Dad, into an assisted living facility. Today, we had the ceremonial transfer of the Favre jersey and lucky Vikings hat, which were handled with the utmost care. Monday at Mankato highlights:
The draft picks are starting to make some noise. Chris Cook, who seemed destined for special teams and maybe a dime role, looks like he might be moving up the chart. He has been described as a prototypical press corner, and he's flashing his skills, picking off three passes so far. The other Chris, DeGeare, has made the most of his opportunity. With a minor injury to Joohn Sullivan, and Steve Hutchinson resting, DeGeare played well against the first team, and then beat Kevin Williams during individual line drills.
The quarterback play continues to suffer. I'm not trying to make excuses, but if these guys know that it doesn't matter how well they play, are they maybe going through the motions? TJ knows he's going to be the backup when Favre arrives, and Rosenfels has to know that he might be cut just as much for financial reasons as he might be for talent. This has to be in their head somewhat, and therefore distracting. I don't know for sure, but I'm looking for something here that might explain mediocre play. UNless, you know, they're mediocre. Because if they are, and Favre doesn't come back (which he is, but still) we're gooned.
Leslie Frazier insists Tyrell Johnson is still a starting safety, but Jamarca Sanford is 'providing competition', which is a subtle way of saying 'pick it up Tyrell, or you're sitting'. Good to see something being done to try and improve the backe end of the secondary.
Eric already mentioned earlier (as did Jon over st SBN Minnesota) that Cedric Griffin wouldn't play in the opener...which was kinda sorta contradicted by Chilly a little while later. He didn't flat out say the Ced would play, but don't count him out, either. If Griff is ready for the season opener, that's almost as remarkable a comeback as EJ Henderson's, especially when you're talking ACL and a cornerback.
That's about it for now, feel free to add anything in the comments that I might have missed.